A sexual harassment complaint filed against the Golden State Warriors and a star player comes on the heels of another lawsuit that alleges the NBA is steeped in a culture that treats women unfairly, and could do more to protect all of its employees - not just the ones who play on the court.

On Wednesday, Erika Smith, the Warriors' former director of community relations, sued the team in Alameda County Superior Court, saying she was fired after executives learned guard Monta Ellis had sent her late-night texts that included a photo of his genitalia.

The lawsuit said Ellis started texting Smith in November 2010 with messages that included phrases like "I want to be with you" and "Hey Sexy," to which she responded, "What do you want?" and "I am sleeping." Ellis used a "secret" telephone kept by a Warriors equipment manager, the suit said.

After Ellis' wife, Juanika Amos Ellis, learned of the texts in January and complained to team executives, the Warriors changed Smith's job description and later fired her, said Smith's lawyer, Burton Boltuch.

Accusation denied

The Warriors disputed the allegations and said they had learned that Ellis and Smith were in a "consensual relationship" and told them both to stop. They did not say why they fired Smith.

The suit was filed less than a week after a former National Basketball Association security director in New York alleged that he had warned NBA officials for years that women in the league's office were being harassed by supervisors and co-workers, and that he was fired in July for supporting a female employee's lawsuit. The NBA has denied the allegations.

The plaintiff in that case, Warren Glover, a 10-year employee, said in his lawsuit that his previously glowing evaluations plummeted after he backed the women who complained of harassment and testified in support of a woman who sued the league and her boss in 2008.

Glover's attorney, Randolph McLaughlin, said Wednesday the league's "culture of misogyny" was illustrated by an incident at a training camp for rookies several years ago. At the camp, he said, a security director who was supposed to instruct the players on how to stay out of legal trouble showed them a photo of an obese, scantily clad woman lying on top of a skinny man, with a caption that warned them of the dangers of getting drunk.

Other suits

In 2007, a federal jury awarded $11.6 million in damages to Anucha Browne Sanders, a former New York Knicks executive who claimed the team's coach, former NBA star Isiah Thomas, had sexually harassed her with verbal insults and unwanted advances.

After an appeal, the case was later settled, with Madison Square Garden agreeing to pay her $11.5 million.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Wednesday that the league has a "respect-in-the-workplace policy" for its employees and advises teams to adopt their own policies. He said the NBA and its Players Association conduct an annual training camp for rookies to educate them on "all aspects of being a professional."

Though allegations against sports figures of sexual misconduct have garnered widespread headlines - golfer Tiger Woods and former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky are among the recent examples - they seldom are accused of workplace sexual harassment, said William Gould, a former National Labor Relations Board chairman who teaches labor law and has written about legal issues in sports.

Gould said, however, that big-time sports can foster immaturity and arrogance that manifests itself in sexual abuse, and that college recruiting practices are partly to blame.

Many college sports programs "have become professional minor leagues, racing to bring in kids who can perform and bring in attendance and money" before they leave school early for the pros, he said. "They have a lot of attention, money and fame, and haven't been taught the basics."

Boltuch, Smith's lawyer, echoed that opinion, saying that his client was a victim of a professional sports climate that tolerated harassment.

"On a micro level, my client lost her job and endured unwanted harassment and suffered emotional distress," Boltuch said. "On a macro level, this type of conduct, especially in the sports world, must stop."

At a news conference in Boltuch's Oakland office, Smith said she worked in the NBA for 14 years, previously with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns. She said she was never harassed by any other player, and came forward now because she was unfairly fired.

"I loved my job," she said. "I loved giving back to my community."

Boltuch held up a photo of male genitalia which he said Ellis had sent to Smith in December 2010.

Cover-up alleged

"We don't care if it was his or not," Boltuch said. "But we know it came from him and he said it was his junk."

Boltuch accused the Warriors' new ownership of engaging in a "vast cover-up" to protect Ellis.

"She knew if she said anything, the Warriors would choose to protect Monta, which is what they've done," the attorney said.

He said Smith was fired nine days after a reporter texted her and asked if Ellis was "stalking" her. After Smith told a Warriors human relations manager about the inquiry, the suit said, she was told "that's not good" before she was terminated.

In a statement read to reporters in Oakland, team President Rick Welts said the Warriors "take seriously any allegations of harassment."

"When we were made aware of a consensual relationship between Mr. Ellis and the plaintiff, we did what an organization should do: We told both to stop promptly, directly and fairly," Welts said.

"The Warriors have never taken any action against the plaintiff for any inappropriate reason and we deny the allegations she is making," Welts said. He promised to "vigorously defend the reputation of the Warriors organization in the courts" and refused to answer questions.

Ellis is widely regarded as the team's best player. In 2008, a season after winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, he signed a six-year, $67 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid player on the Warriors.

In July 2010, he married Juanika Ellis in Memphis. The couple have two children.

In a video produced by the NBA last year, Ellis said his wife "was different from other women. She didn't take no mess from me. She held me accountable for whatever I done."